1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to amorphous metal alloy compositions and, in particular, to amorphous alloys containing iron, boron, silicon and carbon having enhanced dc and ac magnetic properties.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Investigations have demonstrated that it is possible to obtain solid amorphous materials from certain metal alloy compositions. An amorphous material substantially lacks any long range atomic order and is characterized by an X-ray diffraction profile consisting of broad intensity maxima. Such a profile is qualitatively similar to the diffraction profile of a liquid or ordinary window glass. This is in contrast to a crystalline material which produces a diffraction profile consisting of sharp, narrow intensity maxima.
These amorphous materials exist in a metastable state. Upon heating to a sufficiently high temperature, they crystallize with evolution of the heat of crystallization, and the X-ray diffraction profile changes from one having amorphous characteristics to one having crystalline characteristics.
Novel amorphous metal alloys have been disclosed by H. S. Chen and D. E. Polk in U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,513, issued Dec. 24, 1974. These amorphous alloys have the formula M.sub.a Y.sub.b Z.sub.c where M is at least one metal selected from the group of iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium and vanadium, Y is at least one element selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, boron and carbon, Z is at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, antimony, beryllium, germanium, indium, tin and silicon, "a" ranges from about 60 to 90 atom percent, "b" ranges from about 10 to 30 atom percent and "c" ranges from about 0.1 to 15 atom percent. These amorphous alloys have been found suitable for a wide variety of applications in the form of ribbon, sheet, wire, powder, etc. The Chen and Polk patent also discloses amorphous alloys having the formula T.sub.i X.sub.j, where T is at least one transition metal, X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, antimony, beryllium, boron, germanium, carbon, indium, phosphorus, silicon and tin, "i" ranges from about 70 to 87 atom percent and "j" ranges from about 13 to 30 atom percent. These amorphous alloys have been found suitable for wire applications.
At the time that the amorphous alloys described above were discovered, they evidenced magnetic properties that were superior to then known polycrystalline alloys. Nevertheless, new applications requiring improved magnetic properties and higher thermal stability have necessitated efforts to develop additional alloy compositions.